Victory
by yulie1022
Summary: No great victory has ever been won without a great struggle. Love that is not fought for, not earned, dies fast and does not live in the memories of others for very long. Post-Breaking Dawn, Jacob x Nessie
1. Chapter 1

.oO Plane Home Oo.

I hated the way planes felt. It felt like I was doing nothing, and it wasn't until the plane landed, was I assured the trip was worth it. I wasn't as fast as my parent, but I still would have preferred running.

"Just like your mother."

My head snapped up and I looked at my father. He was a beautiful man- or boy depending on how old you were. I hated it when he read my mine. He pressed his lips together and turned to the beautiful women beside him.

"Your daughter is in one of her moods." He whispered low, trying to keep it even from me. He knew it would fail.

"She's a teenager, what do you expect?" My mom twisted in her seat so gracefully and stared at me from between seats.

"Do you want me to cover you sweet heart?" I nodded a quick yes, and I heard the tense grip my father had on the armrests. He hated it, absolutely loathed when he was not allowed to read our minds. But I hated that he could read mine. My thoughts were gifts I gave, and he took them greedily, without even trying.

I heard as his stand relaxed, but the absence of words led me to believe my mother had traded my thoughts for hers. I wanted to get away, I wanted to not have to care about him stealing my thoughts, or relying on my mother to protect me.

I leaned the seat back and concentrated on the quiet roar of the engines. It has been too long. I missed his face. I didn't understand why my parents took me away, or rather, why he couldn't come along.

I had traveled the world, seen so many people, lived so many cultures. I could perform a Bhangara dance better than any Punjabi male, I could sing a traditional gagaku song better than any living Japanese person. I smirked.

But of course I had learned from the original punjabi performer, I was taught by the eldest of the vampires, the most revered. And as much as I had learned as much as I had fun and loved seeing all my old friends, I still missed him.

Constantly I thought of him, never truly forgetting him not even for a moment. I missed his face, his warmth. I even missed his blood. I licked my lips.

I was grown now, I was finally in the a same state my parents were. Though I was not like them, I was not part of their race. As much as the members of their species loved and adored me, I was not really, _truly,_ one of them.

I was not human, I was not vampire, I was something mixed and rare.

I looked out my window to see the startling blue ocean below me, the calm waves almost a perfect mirror of the black sky.

We were almost home, almost. I would see grandpa Charlie. Renee was suppose to be there too. But I couldn't wait until after the formalities. I had seen grandpa and grandma. Charlie had joined us in London, in Australia and even briefly while we were in India. Renee was more adventurous, she had come to Africa, China and Peru. I had seen them, I hadn't been away from them for as long as I had been from him.

There was a soft crack in the air.

"This is your pilot speaking, we are about thirty minutes from landing in Port Angeles. Local time is ten past eight and its currently a clear sky, temperature at forty degrees. I hope you enjoyed you flight and thank you for choosing to travel with us."

I relaxed. Thirty minutes. Then it would be baggage claim, damn all those souvenirs we bought. Then car and then drive. Oh, I hope we had a fast enough car. Good thing my family likes fast.

* * *

Story is a continuation of Lady of Gryphons and Dragons' story **Please, Bella?**

The updates will be short, and I will combine chapters as I see fit. Thanks to her for letting me pick up the story. I will keep this in Nessie's POV. I don't know where the story is going to go, I have nothing planned out other than putting strain on Nessie and Jake's relationship. Suggetions, comments, general reviews are welcomed.

I know this story will probably feature adult themes, there for the T rating is tentative.

Hint: reviews make me write faster.

Happy reading, keep writing.

yulie1022


	2. Chapter 2

.oO Birthday Memories Oo.

I was a fool, I had underestimated his love. As soon as the plane touched down, I could sense him. As soon as we were connected to the terminal, I could smell him. It was a faint, far of scent, but still I knew it was him. I was so excited, it took all I had not to shove passed the humans in the thin aisle, and run out of the aluminum tube. I wondered how fast I could leave without looking as if I was about to bomb the place.

Painstakingly slow, the flight attendants finally gave us the ok. I jumped out of my seat. I all but ran. I don't know what my parents thought, I'm sure my dad would explain to mom what my rush had been due to, but then again, I am sure they smelled him too.

With controlled speed I dashed through the airport, passed luggage claim- my parents would get that- and I almost knocked over the sign that said No Returning Pass This Point. I saw him, my fluttering heart almost stopped. Involuntarily, my cheeks lifted and my bottom lip flattened over my teeth as I smiled. I sprinted and threw myself into his arms.

Oh, his warm, the warmth that no human or vampire could replicate. I almost crushed his neck in my grasp, I pressed my cheek against his.

"I miss you." He whispered. My smile grew. I shared with him that I missed him as well, I tried to recover the time, the moments he had missed in my life, the moments I wish we could have shared.

"You'll overwhelm him." I heard my father say. I pulled out of my memories, and turned to see my family standing beside us. I let go of Jake, and went to all of them in turn.

I did miss them too, but it wasn't like the separation I had experienced with Jake. Of course I had seen them, I could name each country they visited, how long they had remained with us. And of course they always gathered around my birthday.

"It's wonderful to see you again." Grandpa Carlisle said as I embraced him first, he could pass for my father more readily now than my actual father could. Esme was the same, I looked like I was my parents' sibling rather than daughter.

"We missed you so much!" Esme said in a hushed voice, clutching my head as I hugged her.

"Look at you, you've grown into a mighty fine young lady." Uncle Jasper said as we smiled at each other, I could feel his genuine joy.

"Yes, she's quite lovely." I had grown to be taller than Alice, and I still felt odd having to slightly bend down to hug her as she kissed my cheeks.

"She's absolutely gorgeous." Auntie Rose said as she waited for me with open arms. I held her tightly, as she closed her arms around me. After she let me go, Uncle Emmett scooped me up in his arms and threw me up in the arm.

"I missed ya kid." He boomed as I screech with laughter. Once on the ground, I glanced at my parents who had just arrived from baggage claim.

"Please, throw her_ higher_, make a show of your strength why don't you." My mom said, clenching her jaw.

"What has Edward done to you?" Emmett shouted in mock horror. "Don't be so stiff Bella." He added, elbowing her gently, laughing at his own joke.

I jumped back to Jake's side and grasped his hand. I returned to my sharing. I had decided so as to not overwhelm him, and as a quick synopsis, I would show him all my birthdays he had missed, seven in total. I walked with his as our coven turned heads, we were too eye catching not to attract attention.

My first birthday, we had had a large gathering up north with the Denali's. I remembered we could not go into town together very often because we were a large group and too beautiful. I remembered I had perfected my Spanish with Carmen, such a sweet ad wonderful person.

That birthday Carlisle had bought me the most gorgeous wedding cake, though it was smaller in size than Alice would have liked. I had eaten the vile thing for Carlisle's sake, but I much preferred blood. I eagerly showed Jake the wide variety of fauna available in Alaska, from the small foxes and seals to the larger buffallo and moose. And oh the bears! The bears Uncle Emmett loved to play with.

I suddenly remembered how angry I had become the day before my birthday. Auntie Rose had hunted a wolf, and though my mother was upset, I was furious. Auntie had come pleading to me that night, and as a birthday gift, swore herself and the rest of the Cullen's off of wolves. She always aimed to please, me always spoiled me.

Jake's laugh tore me from my memories and I noticed we were walking toward a shiny new white volvo. I followed him into the back seat, an continued to share my memories.

We had spent my second birthday with the Amazon coven. I enjoyed it there, the feral nature of the coven was freeing. I adored the woman Zafrina, and we could spend days on end showing each other things. The women of the coven were not use to such a large gathering, but the birthday was fun. The Amazon had gifted me with clothing and jewelry similar to there own, and I had worn it the rest of my stay with them.

Though they themselves did not adhere to our lifestyle, we enjoyed our diet while with them. I showed him, though it was fun playing with them, I did not quite enjoy the taste of crocodile or anaconda. However I had definitely became fond of jaguars.

My third birthday we had gone to see Siobhan, Liam and Maggie in Ireland. It was a quiet birthday party, a lot of conversation and gift giving. We attracted a lot of attention in that small town they resided in, and didn't stay for very long anyway. I had hated it there, the main predator were wolves, and therefore all that was available were foxes, sheep and deer. I had almost thrown myself into the ocean to see if dolphin's blood was any better.

I took a moment to recall a time I had stood in front of a mirror. I wanted to let Jake see what I had looked like. I was perhaps the physical age of nine maybe ten. My face and eyes were no longer so round, and my limbs were growing longer and thinner. My hair remained at my waist and full, its bronze color as vibrant as ever.

My fourth birthday was much more interesting. We had gone south, to visit Benjamin and Tia, who happen to be with Amun and Kebi at the time. Benjamin was a lot of fun to be around, he reminded me of Jake. He indulged my whims, took me into ancient pyramids and tombs, expertly navigating them and taught me how to decipher hieroglyphs. His abilities he demonstrated to the Cullen's, showing off for them. I remembered Amun looking worried.

Egypt's cuisine had offered gazelle, camels and a medium size jungle cat. Not as fun as the Alaskan or Amazon, but better than _much_ Ireland.

For my fifth birthday, Renee had come to join us in China. It was the third time I had met her, and she adored me. She had almost spent her entire vacation money on me, buying me every little thing I showed the slightest interest in. I had been forced to eat many meals with her, and though they were not my exact cup of tea, by that age I was able to even pick out which dishes I preferred. Carlisle had hope in me yet. I remember I had been allowed to hunt exactly one tiger and then after had to suffice with bears and deer once Renee had left.

My sixth birthday was a rather unpleasant one, I had been invited to Italy. I had very horrible feelings toward the Volturi, and was none too happy with accepting the offer. Like all the others of their race, they looked at me with wonder and awe. They inhaled my scent, and watched my every move. But I saw how Aro's eyes followed me with interest and greed. I am glad we only spent the one day there, and was sorry my family had to endure their company for me.

My last birthday was an odd one. We had run into vampires before, but never more than one traveling group. We had ran into Peter and Charlotte in the Philippines, perhaps not so by accident seeing as Alice had insisted that September was typhoon season and we had a grand chance of getting hit by one.

Jasper was happy to see his old friends, and they were interested to see me too, like everyone else amazed by my growth and nature. But I remember during my birthday dinner (not really a dinner, more of a gathering) I had been surprised with an unexpected visitor. I remembered him, from those years ago.

He was extremely handsome, with rich dark brown skin and eyes an alluring black. He was only slightly taller than me, by three inches. He had presented me with a beautiful exquisite jewelry set, he claimed to have crafted himself. He explained how he had hand picked each rock and how he had carved and polished them into the beads that were strung on a sterling silver beads were an intense blue, with tiny gold flecks. Nahuel said the stone was a rare and precious gemstone, lapis lazuli.

He had confessed to tracking my dad's phone number down and asking for when my birthday was, and where they would be. I remembered the first time he had laughed, when he found out I could speak Spanish. It had been a nervous laugh, he had felt foolish speaking to me in English, unsure at times if he had chosen a proper word or phrase. I had been flattered to know he had been practicing his English for my sake. I assured him it was flawless. I had enjoyed his company very much, we conversed in Spanish for the most part. I was excited to tell Jacob that he was planning to visit me this birthday too.

I ended the memory, withholding myself from sharing more, and looked at his face. There was something not perfectly content, something I couldn't quite place. But he smiled brilliantly and I forgot my worries at once.

"It sounds like you had a great time." I nodded softly and then with a slight frown said,

"But I missed you so much." and crashed into him, burying my face into his shirt.

I felt the car parked, and had hardly realized we had arrived. _Home. _


	3. Chapter 3

.oO Home Oo.

"Oh, darling! You are the most precious thing I have ever seen!" Renee says as she smothers me in what would be a bone crushing grip. I pull away and see the questions that burn in her eyes. She knows better than to ask.

"Did you like your trip?" Charlie said hugging me with more caution. Of course he tried to keep the questions out of his mind altogether, but the way his eye brows furrowed the tiniest bit every time he saw me was impossible to disregard. He tried so hard to remain ignorant, he didn't want to know.

"Yes, it was a lot of fun and I got to learn a lot!" Was that how a fifteen year old sounded? I was trying to pass for fifteen.

I spent the next couple of hours in Charlie's home, telling him and Renee about the parts they had missed out on. Speaking was a bit overrated in my opinion, it felt almost unnatural for me to use my voice, but it was necessary.

"Oh, and Ben let me see the inside of the pyramids and tombs!" I let slip in my excitement.

"Inside?" Charlie said raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, that must have cost a _fortune._" Renee said turning to my mom and dad. Dad shrugged his shoulders casually.

"Ben doesn't care much for money." He said, probably in response to Renee's assumptions of Ben being a tour guide. "But even if he had asked for pay, we would have in a heart beat."

"Edward spoils her like she was his own." My mom said with a smile and placed a gentle hand on his leg.

Finally, it came down to distributing gifts, and that was another hour.

"Gee, thanks Ness." Charlie said after I handed him an unnamed object.

"It's a coconut pot from Indonesia." I flashed a huge smile with closed eyes. I had developed this smile for them, in my attempts not to dazzle them to oblivion. "You can use it as a cookie jar or decoration."

"It's lovely Carlie." Renee knew how mom felt about Nessie and she adored my middle name.

"Yours is a coconut turtle box, but you can use it like a cookie jar too if you want." I said handing her hers.

"Gosh, I am going to have to mail some of this back home, I don't think it will all fit in my suit case." Renee said glancing around at everything we had brought back for her. It only took one suit case. One, large suit case.

"Oh, and this," I said plucking a pile of assorted clothes. "-is for Sue." I said handing it to Charlie.

"Thanks." He said, a bit overwhelmed I had picked up the pile with such ease. Of course, even a normal teenager could handle such a load of clothing, so I hoped it wasn't too surprising. I took an equally large pile and handed it to Renee, but almost hesitated my movements when I saw the subtle sour look on her face.

"They are from all the different countries." I began watching her eye the pile of clothes in Charlie's hands. "Mexico, Brazil, Greece, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Iran, Cambodia, Korea..." I feigned forgetting what other places the shirts were from. "I tried to get the native wear, so they aren't t-shirts, they are what the indigenous people actually wear."

"Thank you so much sweetie." Renee said hugging her pile.

"I'm sure Sue will appreciate them." Charlie said placing the pile gently on the couch. He glanced out the window and checked his wrist watch. "You guys must be exhausted." Charlie said, his tone suggesting other wise. Still, my parents stretched and falsely suggested they were tired.

"I'm not too tired." I said before my body betrayed me and I yawned.

"No, you should go home and rest, we'll be here in the morning." Renee insisted, most of the pretense was for her sake, it was only proper that she fell for it.

"We'll be here for lunch." Mom said standing and letting her eyes droop a little.

"Really honey, you should take care of yourself." Renee held my Mom's cheek in her hand. "You both look like you haven't slept in weeks." She said glancing worriedly at the dark circles under my parents eyes.

"We'll be find after a good nights rest." Dad reassured her with a soft smile.

We said our goodbyes and I felt something in the air when Renee turned to eye Charlie as we shut the front door. Maybe it wasn't a brilliant idea letting her stay the four nights with him.

I got into the back seat of the car and waited patiently for our return to the house, where Jake promised me he would not look into the bag filled with his souvenirs. But my mind began to dissipate and the black blur of the landscape was causing me to fall asleep.

I blinked when I spotted the white house in the distance and shook my head awake. As my dad parked the car, I heard a bit of a ruckus.

"Can't you wait at the cottage?" I heard Auntie screech as we got closer.

"Do you know how much pain I've been in Mrs. Ice Queen?" I heard Jake roar back. The sound terrified me, I had never heard him like that ever.

"Fuck Rose! Have you ever died more than once? Every time I woke up, It felt like my heart was being torn out- I waited by the phone like some depressed teenage girl! She's finally back, and I have to wait patiently so she can see Charlie and Renee- I get that. But you are going to have to fuckin deal with the stench right now cause if I have to wait any longer-"

I couldn't hold myself, I flew through the door and tackled him. He had to take a step back to absorb my blow, but he was quiet and wrapped his warm arms around me. He dropped to the ground and sat with his legs crossed and held me in his lap.

We sat like that for a long while, the peace was absolute. I hadn't realized how much it bothered me to be away from him. I hadn't understood I was missing a part of myself, the phone calls and video chats were not enough. Nothing could ever substitute the complete feeling I had in my heart when I was with him.

I didn't realize how tired I was, and I hated myself for falling asleep.


End file.
